Apple and Samsung were both ordered to make public their profits and other financial details pertaining to their business, as part of last October’s copyright infringement lawsuit that saw a US jury award Apple a billion dollar in damages over Samsung’s patent infringement practices. Needless to say, both companies filed motions to keep sensitive data private.

Today, as Reuters reports, both technology titans won their respective bid to keep secret financial details. A federal US Court of Appeals in Washington, DC rebuked the trial judge who had previously ordered the financial information from both Apple and Samsung be made public…

Reuters explains a three-judge appeals panel decided that in this case the public’s interest does not include corporate financial information:

We recognize the importance of protecting the public’s interest in judicial proceedings and of facilitating its understanding of those proceedings.

That interest, however, does not extend to mere curiosity about the parties’ confidential information where that information is not central to a decision on the merits.

One of the judges wrote that “we must remain mindful of the parties’ right to access those same courts upon terms which will not unduly harm their competitive interest”.

It’s worth mentioning that Reuters along with the First Amendment Coalition filed motions to reveal Apple and Samsung’s full financial information. The news gathering organization and many other media outlets was clearly dissatisfied with the heavily redacted copies of the filings released to the public.

Last October, US District Court Judge Lucy Koh, who presided over the trial, kept her order to make trial exhibits public, pending the outcome of the appeal. She argued that the public’s interest in understanding the proceedings outweighed the companies’ rights to keep the information secret.

Mind you, that’s the same judge who slashed about $450 million from the original $1.05 billion verdict in the Apple vs. Samsung case (a November 2013 retrial is scheduled to determine the damages Samsung must pay).

In other related legal news today, the US Department of Justice has altered its e-book settlement offer to charge that Apple had willfully altered its in-app purchasing policy “to retaliate against Amazon for competitive conduct that Apple disproved of”.

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Now Samsung is making ugly flip phones just to get back at these drawings. Lol

Joseph

I bet you didn’t read the captions on the picture.

Guest

Or maybe they are making them for developing countries, people on tight budgets, and people who don’t want or need a smartphone.

But you know…

Manish Rana

This is samsung. They don’t think about people. They just copy.

Joseph

No, they’re all a company. Apple copies Android as well, and that’s not arguable (Notification Center, Control Center, and more).

NEWYORKMINUTE10

This blog is too much pro Apple shit ( iPhone user from the beginning to the end haters)

Manish Rana

Then don’t read it sir.

Joseph

No. It’s people like you that made a blog that used to be enjoyable to read a living hell. I like reading about Apple news and don’t focus on Android news at all except for when I’m particularly curious. I use both OSes, and it’s disgusting how people like you go out of their way to insult people who use a different PHONE OS than you do (which is pretty pathetic, let people like what they want to like and live your own damn life).

Be forewarned, I will not respond to this article anymore, and I have reported you a number of times now on different posts because of your derogatory comments (FAGdroid, as an example of one).

Christian is a massive troll that just wants to incite flame wars. That picture doesn’t even have any relation to the article. He always pulls this crap.

✪ aidan harris ✪

Does this really matter? I’m not for one moment defending Christian since like others I do agree that this articles picture is not really relevant and will likely start a flame war of sorts but at the end of the day it is only a picture! If for some reason it offends you or does start a flame war just ignore it. There’s no need to get all upset about it and post in the comments section and there is definitely no need to suggest that Christian is a bad writer just for a poor choice of image. To sum up these things happen just deal with it!

Abdl

Well said

Joseph

Except the image isn’t all. He constantly writes about other companies and sticks in bad remarks for no good reason, his excuse being that it’s good to keep tabs on your enemy.

…Why? They’re not YOUR enemy, and it’s Apple’s concern, not ours. Christian incites flame wars on basically every article of his, and that’s the point. There’s a saying that, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all. It’s hard to live by that, but Christian should at least try to do so for his articles, and they’d be bearable if the article was unbiased.

I came to iDB to read about Apple news and all. I can deal with articles about other companies and products, but the thing I did NOT come here for is to hear Christian’s opinions on it, which he KNOWS starts flame wars.

Guest

Very well said! On one of his recent articles about Google putting ads on the Google Maps app, he had to mention that Android was full of ads, when there was basically no reason to do so.

Also, it seems like any Microsoft-related article I read (that he publishes), he always seems to throw in an insult to Microsoft for no good reason.

Joseph

I don’t see the point of that picture, nor is it a good ones. Of course Samsung changed their phone tactics after the iPhone! You all say it yourselves, the iPhone flipped everything upsidedown. Everyone had to change to compete, and if it looks even remotely similar, Apple fanboys immediately mark it as a copy. Disgusting.

✪ aidan harris ✪

They are copies though! The only smartphones out at the moment that I wouldn’t call copies of the iPhone are Blackberries (which are a dying breed) and Windows Phones. If you do not recognise the majority of Android smartphones as a copy or partial copy of the iPhone and its operating system then I’m afraid I may need to politely ask you to have your eyes examined by a medical professional. Android is a big massive copy of iOS and iOS itself also arguably borrows some elements of the Android operating system.

Joseph

I’m afraid that I need to tell you that the legion of Apple fanboys need to get their heads checked if they jump on absolutely every detail because a different phone slightly resembles the phone of Overlord Apple. It’s outrageous. It’s quite literally impossible to NOT copy someone else these days, because of all the parents that phone makers own, especially Apple. Apple itself can constitute as a patent troll, because they sue for the smallest patents infringed- by accident! Do you expect a phone yo be successful these days without a camera? A home screen? Apps? Volume buttons? That’s all I can see in the picture above that looks like it was copied, and they’re a requirement. You all probably think the S3/S4 is a copy because it has a home button.

…So what? Every device has it, the difference being that it’s a physical button instead of on-screen.

Listen. I don’t dislike Apple. I don’t dislike Android. I dislike Christian’s opinions, and since he writes every other article on iDB, it’s impossible to avoid his articles.

✪ aidan harris ✪

“Apple itself can constitute as a patent troll, because they sue for the smallest patents infringed- by accident!”

But what they give they receive as well! For example the recent out of court settlement Apple paid for their unauthorised use of the clock design in the iOS 6 iPad clock app. I’m sure that was an accident although there’s a possibility it wasn’t. Whether it was or wasn’t though it was only a small thing. Copying an entire phones design and / or operating system and knowingly doing it is something that is much worse and will likely take a while to stop or maybe never get stopped even with all of the complex litigation that goes on.

NEWYORKMINUTE10

You’re right, take example of iOS 7, a total windows mobile 8 ripoff

✪ aidan harris ✪

When I said “Copying an entire phones design and / or operating system and knowingly doing it is…” I was talking about other phones and their OS. iOS is more innovative and unique now than its ever been before.

Manish Rana

You sir, are very sad. Accept the fact that iOS is the best. Lol

Guest

Everyone can have their own opinions, and their opinions DO NOT have to be the same as yours.

leart za jmi

Yeah your right anyone should have their own opinion, but since this is a IDEVICE blog and you dont like idevices and ios to, why you are stick here. Dont tell me that you like aple fanboys now

Guest

I read this website because I am still interested in what is going on in the world of Apple.

Joseph

Accept the fact that it’s a personal opinion, and I don’t shove it in other people’s faces, iSheep.

Manish Rana

That is exactly what a fagdriods would say. You don’t have to specify which Apple product you have or going to buy. You are a dumb android goat aren’t you?

Joseph

It’s pretty funny, because you’re jumping on absolutely everything in an attempt to insult me. Only iSheep would say ‘fagdroid’, and I hope you feel bad for even using such a term. Now, move on with your life, stop being a troll, and learn that there are actually people on here who use both OSes (they come in both tablets and phones, so obviously it can be mixed and matched), and would rather not get insulted around every bend because they want to read about Apple.

Manish Rana

Awww do you feel insulted? That is so cute. Hahaha
Only smart android guys would use the word “isheep”?
Stop tripping dude.
I have nexus 7, S2, S4, iPhone 4s, iPad, iPad mini, windows 7 laptop, macbook pro, unix system, windows xp and I design memories that goes into samsung high end smartphones. You really wana go technical on me?
Bring it on.

Joseph

If I felt insulted, then I wouldn’t have called your attempt just that- an attempt. And I’m sure those little kids at foster homes appreciate your need go keep three phones, three tablets, and four laptops (or computers in general since you didn’t state what the Unix system or Windows XP machine was). I must ask, why?

Guest

Isheep is a worb that samsung made it becose the cant have their real fans without to pay to have real fans ( largely proved) troll

Joseph

It was first featured in the Nokia commercials, if I recall. Regardless, your spelling makes me barely able to decipher your comment, and didn’t you all come up with the term Fagdroid/Fandroid? What’s your defense?

Manish Rana

You are a samsuk’s fan and a fandroid. Aren’t you?

Guest

Hey man, nice original and creative insults!

*sarcasm.

✪ aidan harris ✪

I thought it was more of a question than an insult but it’s certainly open to interpretation…

Guest

I was referring to the remarks he made about Android and Samsung.

Manish Rana

LOL.

*sarcasm

Joseph

Nope, I’m getting an iPad this October and I like Android, too, however unfathomable that is to you. You’re an iSheep, aren’t you?

leart za jmi

Isheep looks far better that a droid troll

Joseph

How so? I stated that I’m interested in Apple articles, which is why I’m even here, and I don’t appreciate being bashed by the bloggers when I want the news and only that. I’ve been on this blog since 2011 and it’s gone to hell.

Manish Rana

Hahaha, saved up enough money to get an iPad? Awww, that is cute.
Android goats bleating all over the place. ***Cough***
Dumb fagdroid.

Joseph

Aw, cute that you think that you can hurt me. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, child.

I’m also sorry to tell you that not all countries are a first-world country and that the economy sucks these days.

Guest

Christian, this article is suppose to be about Apple and Samsung’s finances. Finances do not include a picture or details about Samsung ‘copying’ designs from Apple. You, yet again, only threw in these details to invoke wars in the comment section.